Brick SEPTA Goes Green

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a proud member of the Brick SEPTA (Special Education PTA), an organization that under Mary Tara Wurmser’s leadership has shown tremendous growth over the past few years. The SEPTA board, including Nicole Barresi, Janet Bixenman, Dina Crepaldi, Vinnie Muti and Sherry Doyle, have worked tirelessly to provide fun events for children with special needs, and have solicited numerous speakers to come enlighten us on topics ranging from transition planning, to understanding Down’s Syndrome. They’ve also recently added recycling to their list of projects, an effort which remains near and dear to my heart.

Heck, they had me at the chocolate donuts.

The board and members of SEPTA have been making a concerted effort to “go green” by using social media to convey their news, but have recently decided to take things a step further. They are also attempting to raise funds and earn assistive technology (i.e. iPads), with the express hope of donating several to our local EEC (Educational Enrichment Center), the building which houses our town’s pre-school autism programs. I’ve seen firsthand how this technology has opened up worlds for Justin, who didn’t have the opportunity to employ such an elaborate communicative device until he was seven. I can only imagine how access to iPads might enhance the education of a three-year-old.

And knowing the Brick SEPTA board, I’m certain the EEC will soon find out.

The vehicle through which such donations can be made is called the “Funding Factory”, and is an ongoing free fundraiser and recycling/Go Green program. SEPTA can accept ink cartridges, laser cartridges, cell phones, electronics, and laptops, then send them to the Funding Factory. Drop-off is simple- individuals can leave their items in a drop box at the EEC, or if the item is too large for such a container, a pick-up can easily be arranged.

Other organizations can also come on board and raise funds for their own projects by listing SEPTA as the referrer (Group ID # 275622). Companies can sponsor SEPTA as well by donating their cash or points from the program directly to SEPTA. There are no shipping costs, as Funding Factory takes financial responsibility for that issue, and they make sending in the materials very simple. For more information, please see:

http://www.bricksepta.org/pdfs/FundingFactoryparent_letter.pdf

Finally, there is one last option for helping out SEPTA this season. The Funding Factory is partners with Maxback, a website which individuals can use to get cash-back for unwanted smartphones, tablets, ipods, and video games. Maxback pays senders directly through Paypal, check, or Amazon gift certificates, but the bonus is, they will match each contribution with a 10% donation to SEPTA. You’ll need to establish a free account on Maxback and designate SEPTA as the recipient.  For more information, please check out this link:

http://www.maxback.com/Home.aspx?school=275622

Given how much we’re all watching our wallets stay closed these days, these are some easy ways to contribute without emptying a bank account. Thanks in advance for your participation, and hope to see you at our next SEPTA meeting on January 9th!